大象传媒

Jean Taylor was 18 when the war ended. Born and bred in Coventry, she remembers the tears and the cheers that came with VE Day in Holbrooks.

鈥淚 was in the living room, my mother was in the kitchen and I said 鈥榤um, come, come, there鈥檚 going to be an announcement.鈥� My mother was washing up and reluctantly came in and when she heard the news, her eyes filled with tears. At last, something was going to happen.

鈥淚 think she鈥檇 got her own preparations, what she would do with us kids, if it ever came to the invasion. They weren鈥檛 going to get her kids.

鈥淭here was a lot going on; people rushing around (shouting) 鈥榠t鈥檚 over!鈥�. I think for a long time, people just couldn鈥檛 take it in. We鈥檇 been waiting such a long time to hear that, and when it finally happens, you wonder if you鈥檇 imagined it.鈥�

And the next day, it was time for a street party on Masser Road.

鈥淭he street party was a big deal. This was laying out the cloth, putting up home-made bunting, people rushing about trying to find enough, because there were a lot of kids.

鈥淵ou wondered how it all happened. I think the women had been putting stuff on one side, hoping against hope, that one day it would happen.

鈥淢um made some fairy cakes and I don鈥檛 know how she did it, but she managed to put a bit of icing on the top, so they looked a bit different. And she made some sandwiches with sardines, but she disguised it with tomato sauce so it looked a bit like salmon!

鈥淥ne or two of the ladies had made larger cakes, without eggs, without sugar, I don鈥檛 know really what went in to them, but people were just so pleased to have something. It really was special.鈥�

And while there was a lot of celebration and cheering, there were also thoughts about those who were still fighting in the Far East.

鈥淜ids whose dads were away, you know, 鈥榙ad鈥檚 coming home now鈥�. But it wasn鈥檛 that way, especially if they were out in Burma or somewhere, the war wasn鈥檛 over for them.鈥�

The next day, Jean was back at her desk in the typing pool at the Riley car factory in the city.

鈥淓verybody said 鈥榠t鈥檚 happened, it鈥檚 finally happened鈥� and everybody was so relieved, I think was the overwhelming emotion relief; thank God, now we can get on with life.

鈥淏ut it didn鈥檛 really change very much; we still had rationing, we were still short of money, but you had a hope in your heart that it would get better.

鈥淭ook a long time, but it would get better.鈥�

Image: Jean Taylor

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